In Limousin, attendance in cinemas is “in line” with that observed nationally.
French films that were a hit in 2024, A little something extra d’Artus (10.3 million entries), Le Comte de Monte Cristo by Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte (second with 9.1 million admissions) and Love phew by Gilles Lellouche (fifth with 4.7 million admissions) largely contributed to the more than 181 million admissions recorded in 2024, with almost half of French films, according to the National Center for Cinema and Animated Images (CNC).
Unheard of since 2006 in Limoges
“In Limoges, we have not seen such a phenomenon around French films since 2006,” underlines the director of Grand Ecran Bruno Penin. This success allowed us to reach 770,000 admissions in 2024, a stable result in comparison with 2023 when the year promised to be more difficult. »
Remember: the year 2006 was not to be outdone in terms of French films, notably marked by the great return of the Splendid troupe, attracting the curiosity of many spectators who came to see Les Bronzés 3 friends for lifea film which had recorded more than ten million admissions, and by the now cult Camping with more than five million admissions recorded in theaters.
At the CGR multiplex in Brive, 2024 admissions are up 2% compared to the previous year, or around 5,000 additional admissions with 295,000 admissions in total. The top 3 includes Vice-Versa 2, Le Comte de Monte Cristo et A little something extrareleased in April 2024, came first in the ranking. “At my level, I observe that French cinema knows how to take risks and knows how to renew itself,” rejoices the deputy director of the CGR Mike Dufaure. French cinema is not limited only to comedy, it knows how to do much more than that. »
For Bruno Penin, the success ofA little something extra is comparable to the film Three Men and a Bassinet of Coline Serreau, released in 1985: two films “released at the right time to accompany a change in outlook on society and for which word of mouth worked well. »
A phenomenon in small cinemas in Limousin
“Artus’ film is much more than a comedy,” says Jean Villa, director of Véo cinemas, operator and manager of the programming of small cinemas in Limousin based in Egletons in Corrèze. A little something extra was able to reach a wide audience, particularly in rural areas. In our business, the coefficient that we call Paris-province is, for the province, ten times higher on this film. »
According to him, the film allowed the Corrèze cinema in Ussel to exceed the attendance of 2023 and to maintain good momentum from the month of April (33,898 admissions in 2024). The Tulle cinema recorded an increase in the number of admissions compared to 2023, with 109,626 spectators (plus 1,802 tickets).
In Haute-Vienne, the Artus film alone represents more than 8% of cinema admissions in 2024 (Le Comte de Monte Cristo represents 4%). A “huge result” which is also true in Saint-Junien: the film reaches almost 10% of cinema attendance. These good figures are close to the phenomenon observed in the films Welcome to the Ch‘tis released in 2008 and Untouchables released in 2011, historic hits in French cinema with respectively more than 19 and 20 million admissions in theaters.
Good news for investing
This increase in attendance at cinemas helps managers of Limousin multiplexes to “invest”, who are increasingly forced to renew their equipment. “Since the arrival of digital technology, we have had to regularly renew the equipment, every 10-15 years, when a projector previously had a lifespan of eighty years,” points out Mike Dufaure in Brive. This move upmarket in French cinema also allows us to focus more on the quality of theaters, rather than on their capacity. »
“We can increase the volume of screenings, but people still need to get back into the habit of going to the cinema,” believes Bruno Penin. But cinema has always faced competition from television, video cassettes, and today platforms. Ultimately, people are coming to see films again. »
Punctuated with film sequels, the year 2025 is highly anticipated: on display we will notably find the French saga of Les Tuches, with Les Tuches 5 (number 4 attracted more than two million spectators). If, in 2024, American films did less well due to their releases being delayed by a screenwriters’ strike in Hollywood studios, the 2025 programming should be based on Avatar 3 et Bridget Jones: very lazy judged by distributors as “safe values” to guarantee broad popular success in cinemas.
